WINDSOR, Colo. — Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC left it late, but extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 with a 2-2 draw with Central Valley Fuego FC on Wednesday.
It was forward Real Gill in the 101st minute who scored a screamer from outside the box for the equalizer, his first goal in Hailstorm colors.
“When we got the corner, they told me to stay at the top of the box for loose balls and it just fell straight to me and I hit it,” Gill said.
Hailstorm found themselves down a half hour into the match when a deflected clearance went right to Fuego striker Dembor Benson who slotted home to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute, a lead they would take into halftime.
“We just never really showed up for the first half,” Hailstorm FC coach Tim Murray said.
Fuego extended their lead midway through the second half when Shavon John-Brown found himself through on goal after a close offside position, easily doubling the Fuego lead in the 68th minute.
“We got off to a really slow start,” Murray said. “There wasn’t enough quality in our decision making, especially in the final third.”
It took until the 88th minute for the Hailstorm comeback to begin, when Marky Hernández laid it off for forward Jake Keegan, who rifled it into the top corner from the edge of the box, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with his first goal for the club.
“Sometimes you don’t have a great night, and tonight was one of those for us, so you need substitutes to come off the bench and make an impact,” Keegan said.
With Gill’s late equalizer keeping their unbeaten run intact, Hailstorm will look to stretch it to 11 on Saturday when they face Charlotte Independence at 4Rivers Equipment Stadium.
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The home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex will feature 6,500-seat TicketSocket Park, 2,500-seat 4Rivers Equipment Stadium, multiple baseball diamonds, multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports leagues, tournaments, events and more.
More information is available at HailstormFC.com and FutureLegendsComplex.com.